I promise that I haven't forgotten about all of you out in blog world. I've just been really busy lately, and my mom will be here next week. I'm going to try to update sometime this week, but I've been busy getting to know all the cool new August arrivals. Soon though, I promise!

Boy oh boy have I been slacking with my blogging. Whenever I'm home, I'm watching Heroes. Its honestly an addiction. I was doing so good with blogging, and then I signed up for Netflix. I'm going to work on that though.

In recent news, my birthday is in less than three weeks! Which means that Nick and my mom will be here even sooner than that! I'm getting extremely excited to see them. I haven't really gotten homesick yet, but I really do miss my mom. Two months is a long time to not see her. That's the longest I think I've ever gone. In California, she was there until after my birthday, and then came back at the end of October, which was two months.

I never did tell you all about last Thursday, and now another Thursday has passed even! I really am a horrible blogger. I apologize profusely. I only see it getting worse though, because I keep meeting awesome people, and a few awesome people get here on the ninth, so I know its only going to become fewer and farther between with these posts.

Last Thursday, however, was spent going to MK with my friend Allen, because his program ends soon and he's never gotten to do what he wants to do at MK. So, we got there and went on a few rides and had SO much fun. Then, Kelli (one of our co-workers) and her roommate showed up, and we convinced Allen to go on Big Thunder, which he was terrified of. Afterwards, we stood in like for about an hour to go on Splash, which he also seemed to enjoy. Then, we headed over to Epcot, and met Ashlynn and Robert, and went on Test Track (not really my favorite). Then we wandered World Showcase, because we were all starving. Everyone ate in China, except me and Ashlynn. I had nachos from Mexico and Ashlynn got Japanese food. Robert left after we got dinner, and then Allen, Kelli, and Nicole decided they wanted to drink and watch IllumiNations, so Ashlynn and I dipped out, because I don't do either of those things. Overall, it was a good day. We did and saw a lot, which is always fun.

On the 27th, we had our Wilderness Region Cast BBQ, which was a lot of fun. Robert and I went, and we had a good time. They had food, which was OK I guess, and prizes and dancing and such. My favorite part of the day was getting my caricature drawn, which is so cute! I also made a new friend that night on the bus, which is always a good thing. I'm here to meet new people, and I think I'm doing a pretty good job of that.

I spent the next day (Thursday) being lazy, and having an awesome time. I went to Publix and Dunkin Donuts, played some COD (and I won), attempted to watch Inglorious Basterds but got entirely too confused, and overall just had an awesome lazy day. Then, on Friday, I went to the pool and got WAY to sunburned, and then went to HS with Ashlynn and Crystal (her roommate) and rode ToT. Oh, and on Friday, I attempted to make cookies, but they decided to fall all over the inside of the oven door as I pulled them out. That also happened last week with lasagna. I've decided that I shouldn't make anything in the oven anymore.

Yesterday I got my first Great Service Fanatic card, which was pretty awesome. I also got a cool insulated grocery bag that says Wilderness on it. It was our cast gift for the year. Tuesday are Rapunzel auditions, which I am very excited for. That's basically my life as of right now. I just looked at the time, and realized I need to get dressed and head to work! I'm really going to try updating more often. No promises though.

It seems as though I'm slacking on posting, but in reality, nothing eventful has been happening. At least, not enough to post more than once a week. I literally spend five days a week being lazy and then going to work. Then, on my days off, the last thing I want to do is sit at home. However, the only time eventful things happens is on my days off. So, here I am, waiting to go to work, telling you all about my lovely days off this week.

First of all, I just want everyone to understand how much I love working here. Yes, I work in quick service, and it may not be the most glamorous job. However, my fellow cast members and the guests I interact with make every day a good one. On Monday, I worked register and interacted with a lot of amazing guests. One family came through my line with a traveler's check, and I wasn't sure what to do with it. Then, they came back through and the dad was trying to figure out how much change he had. I helped him out, and then he kiddingly said that he was going to come back and get it down. Sure enough, on Tuesday he came through my line about three different times and knew the change he had every time. It was so funny to interact with him. He really liked using my name too, which is always fun. Tuesday was overall just a good day. About ten minutes into my shift, a guest I had interacted with on Monday came up to me, and told me that his family was leaving on Wednesday morning and they weren't eating at Roaring that night, but that my smile had made their stay what it was. Things like that are exactly why I'm here. That evening, my manager (big boss manager) told me that I had done an awesome job handling my line today, and then told me I was allowed to have either a candy bar or bag of chips, because I had won the "guest service award" of the night. Basically, my Tuesday was awesome.

Wednesday, Morgan, Isabelle, and I all went to HS for the day. It was also the 21st, which means that there is less than a month until my birthday!!! Anyways, we decided to go on Toy Story Mania, which of course I dominated. We then did the backlot tour, and Star Tours. Afterwards, Morgan and I rode ToT, while Isabelle went on the hunt for popcorn. After ToT, we were walking down the street, and some lady literally ran over Isabelle. I could understand hitting someone, but to continueto drive your stupid little motorized scooter into her?! Really?! I was mad. Really mad. She didn't seem to speak english, but she sure thought it was funny that she had run over Isabelle's heel. Morgan then pointed out the fact that the woman clearly was not in any hurry, as she continued to travel, at about a snail's pace, down the road. After that, we headed over to meet some characters, and draw others. We ended up meeting Lotso, and then Morgan headed out to get ready to go out for the evening. Isabelle and I drew a green alien, and then met Pocahontas. After Pocahontas, we got in line to meet Goofy, who was in an extra goofy mood. I asked him if I could take a picture with him, and he got all shy. Then, he refused to let go of me, which was cute. I told him I needed to go, and he had more people to meet, so he decided to propose to me. Of course, I said yes, and then we paraded around the building. It was adorable really. I think Goofy might just be my new favorite character. Overall, I had a lot of fun on Wednesday.

I'll have to tell you about Thursday some other time. It's time to go to work. In the pouring down rain.

We passed our inspection on Tuesday. Woo hoo. After all the cleaning I did though, I was surprised we didn't get a white glove. The only things they said we needed to fix were cleaning out the sink (which I did before I left for work) and cleaning out the stove (which I didn't know needed to be cleaned). At least I got to see what this place looks like clean for at least a few hours!

Wednesday, I went to my two classes, and they were amazing. From 1-2:30, I went to the Creating Connections with Diversity Resource Groups, which was really cool. Basically, people from different DRGs came and talked to us in small groups about their careers, as well as their specific DRGs. Disney has a lot of diversity groups, ranging from a latino group, to a LBGT group, and even a group for families. We were able to have discussions with almost all of the representatives. My favorite was the woman from Families. Not only does it sound like a great group, but Jill (the representative) was a Fashion Merchandising major in school, and is now (I believe) in charge of all of Downtown Disney merchandise around and including World of Disney. At one point, she was a buyer (my dream) and then the step above a buyer. After the session was over, I talked to her for a few minutes about the steps I should take to achieve my goals. She also informed me that being a buyer is competitive, and that the people in those positions tends to not move very quickly. It was just so great to hear that it is possibly to do what I want within Disney, and to now know the steps I need to take to make that dream a reality.

The second class I went to on Wednesday was College Program Alumni Speaker Series: Human Resources. Also an equally good class, although one-on-one interaction was a little more difficult. There were about six people on the panel, and of those six, there were three that really got my attention. Two of the panelists were from college recruiting, and one works in the CP entertainment area. In other words, if you went to a CP audition, she was there looking at all you did. The other panelist from recruiting does Professional Intern recruiting, which of course is my next step. There was another panelist that has worked in Guest Relations, both at WDW and DLR, and as both a GR CM and manager, so that was really really awesome. However, talking to them was a little more difficult, so I think that I may just send an e-mail sometime this week. I'm really new to this whole networking thing, and don't really know what/how I'm supposed to do things.

Overall, Wednesday was a really successful day, and I'm really glad that these learning opportunities are available for us. If anything, I would highly suggest taking any classes offered, even if they don't sound of interest to you. Most likely, someone there will have something of use to tell you. If not, it's just one more experience to take advantage of.

Thursday was spent going to the Florida Mall with Ashlynn, which was so fun. I got my pre-select stuff, and some really cute things from Victoria's Secret! That evening, Isabelle and I were going to go to grocery bingo, but instead we decided to go to HS. Talk about a horrible idea, every time the two of us go to HS, there is a torrential downpour! The second we stepped off the bus, an incredibly hard, cold, sideways rain started coming down. By the time we got to the entrance, we were completely soaked. We did get to meet some pretty awesome characters though, so that was good. After HS, we came home and ordered some delicious Chinese food from Citrus Gardens. I would highly recommend it to anyone living in CP housing. Delivery is free if your order is at least $12. The serving of mongolian beef that I got was huge!

Yesterday was spent working mainly. I don't think I did anything else really. Today has also been a relatively lazy day, considering I don't work until 6 tonight. However, it is time for me to get ready to leave. Hopefully something eventful happens to me this week, so I can tell you all about it!

Tomorrow is our first apartment inspection, and I just spent the last few hours making sure everything is actually up to par. Today, I was scheduled to work 1:30-7:30, but ended up going home at 5 because I wasn't feeling well. Those of you that know me are aware of the fact that I never really get sick. If I am sick, I'm severely sick though. So, when I started feeling light headed and nauseous at work, I knew something was up. I took my break, and still didn't feel any better, so my manager told me I could go home because we were really slow. I felt really bad about leaving, especially considering the fact that I had gotten an ER on Saturday as it was. I ended up coming home and taking a nap for about an hour. I woke up feeling a little better, but knew I needed to clean, so that's what I've been doing for the last three hours or so. I also made myself tacos for dinner, and they were yummy.

There are auditions for Rapunzel on the third and fourth, and I'm really excited because I'm hoping to go. Being in entertainment really would be a lot of fun. Not that I don't enjoy my job, but how fun would it be to say that you were a character performer for Disney?

Tomorrow are inspections, as I stated earlier, and then I work from 3-9, I believe. Its really nice not having to close all the time. Getting home at two in the morning really isn't my favorite thing in the world. I'm pretty sure that my days off are going to start being Wednesday and Thursday, which is totally fine with me.

This Wednesday, I'm going to two different Disney classes, which I'm pretty excited about. From 1-2:30, I'm going to be taking a class called Create Connections with Diversity Resource Groups. Then, from 6-8, I'll be attending the College Program Alumni Speaker Series: Human Resources. They both sound like really interesting classes, and my goal is to take advantage of as many learning opportunities as possible while I'm here. They're also both at Chatham, which makes things that much easier for me. On August 6, I've also signed up to take a class at Disney University called The Walt Disney Family: A Legacy Continues. Then, on August 31, there are going to be Spotlight On classes at Disney University that I am extremely interested in. One is Guest Relations, which is my dream job. The other is Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings, which I am totally interested in. I love that there are so many amazing things for us to experience down here, and they can only make me a better person in the long run.

On a completely different note, I officially have four Vinylmations, and one Vinylmation Jr. They're so adorable!!! I'm not a fan of pin trading, but these are so cute!

Well, I'm heading to bed. I probably shouldn't be up this late anyways, considering I'm not feeling very good. I'll try to update you all on the classes on either Wednesday or Thursday. Thursday I'm planning on going to the mall and grocery bingo though, so we will see what happens!

I currently have about an hour to spare before work, so I figured I'd try getting back into my semi-regular updating pattern. Yesterday, I went to Downtown Disney, and bought a few things that I had been eyeing since I got here. I also went to Wolfgang Puck Express and got a kid's mac and cheese. Oh my gosh was it delicious! After I was done at DTD, I headed over to the Post Office, so I could mail Hope all of Hunter's birthday stuff. I also JUST realized that I forgot to get him a Happy Birthday button! Oh well I guess. The nice thing about the DTD bus is that I can go directly from there to the Post Office. However, my George Foreman was broken during its travels with USPS, and that Post Office doesn't handle claims. Not having a car is becoming more and more of a hassle as the days go by.

I almost didn't make it to the bus in time for work yesterday, because of all my adventures in the morning. However, I walked onto the A bus right as it was leaving Chatham, so that worked out nicely. Work was so slow yesterday, and today is supposed to be even slower. I can't understand why the weekend is slower than the rest of the week! I felt like I did a whole lot of nothing yesterday, which made me feel bad for even being at work.

I'm one of those people that doesn't believe in wasting company money. If you don't need me, I'd be happy to go home. If you really really need me though, I'd be happy to stay late as well. I'm thinking I'll put in for an ER today. considering I would like to go get a few groceries.

Going to bed at 2:30 and waking up at 10:30 was a lot more difficult that I had anticipated it to be this morning. I'm going to go chug another cup of coffee before I have to leave.

So, let me try this again. I really want to get an update on my life for all of you, but it seems to be much easier said than done. However, today we have no water until noon, so I've got nothing to do for about another hour. You really don't realize how much you use water until you don't have it.

As far as work goes, I did all my morning training last week, and so far I've had a day in dining room and at salad without a trainer. Both days I was told I did a good job, so that made me feel good. Morning shifts kicked my butt though. In order to get to work at seven, I have to wake up at 5:15 and catch the bus from here at 5:45 or 6 (I can't remember exactly). Then, once I get to TTC, I have to transfer to the first B route bus of the day, which doesn't get me to work until 6:43. For those of you that know me, you know I hate being late for work. Especially at Disney. I currently have a point and a half on my record card, and its from the day I was termed on my last program. I didn't even know it was there until I got down here. Anyways, I'm the person that always gets to work like 45 minutes early, because I don't trust these buses for anything. So, having a bus get me to work fifteen minutes early makes me really nervous. However, my first two days of doing this, I had no issues. The morning of July 2, the bus driver decided to be TWELVE minutes late, which meant that he didn't even show up until 6:52. Of course, I'm already incredibly frustrated, but I figure I'll still get to work on time, because Wilderness is his first stop. Does that happen though? Of course not. Instead of going to Wilderness, he decides to "do a favor" for a guy on the bus, and go to the Grand first! That's the third stop, not the first! Being the person I am, I ask the bus driver why he didn't go to Wilderness, and then point out that three of us need to be there at seven, as opposed to the one guy going to the Grand. The bus driver then decided to yell at me, and tell me it was his choice (which it isn't, I asked another bus driver). I yelled right back, because if his respect went out the window, then mine was going with it. In the end, I was three minutes late clocking in, and had a crazy bus driver chasing me down the halls of Wilderness. I didn't get a half point, because my manager understood that it was out of my control. Talk about a frustrating situation though. Lesson reiterated: Always take the earlier bus!

As far as life outside of work goes, I've been hanging out with Samuel a lot. He's a pretty cool guy, and he had never been to any of the parks until about a week ago. Of course, I wanted to be with him on his first visits! We went to Hollywood Studios, and I finally got to go on ToT. He fell in love with it too. I also kicked his butt at Toy Story, which he was surprised about. The only person to ever beat me at Toy Story is Jaime. We definitely had a good time at HS. We also went to Epcot, which is where he works, with Isabelle the next day, and he got upset when we ran away from IllumiNations. I made it up to him two days ago though, and took him to the Poly to get Dole Whips and watch the fireworks, also with Isabelle.

I also did pre-select at Nordstrom a few days ago, which is my favorite time of year. I had to take public transportation to get there though, and it really scared me. I survived though, so that was good. The lady that helped me is from Bellevue, so that was awesome! I have to venture to the mall next week to go pick my stuff up, and I'm pretty excited.

I also got to spend some quality roommate time with Isabelle the other day, and we met a few characters, rode Space Mountain (finally), and I got a sunburn. A lady that works for Disney, taking surveys, asked me if I was friends with characters, which made me want to be that much more. I have next Thursday off, which is an open audition day, and I really think I might try. I would love to be in entertainment, although I don't think I will be.

Today, I don't work until six, so I think I'm going to head to the post office and clean around the apartment a little bit. We have inspections on Tuesday, and as of right now, I have this feeling that we would fail. Then again, I'm not anyone's maid either, so if we fail, we fail.